On the upper deck, near the hinges, you find a row of dedicated hotkeys that you can program to any function of your choice, including auto-overclocking.Īlso, there is key backlighting that lets you change the lighting hues in the machine’s built-in PredatorSense software, but the entire keyboard and touchpad have a blue haze backlight by default, which also extends to the six hotkeys and the power button. On the keyboard, the directional-arrow and WASD keys are bordered with blue paint job that easily sets them apart. When enabled, either AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync allow a screen’s refresh rate scale up and down in tandem with the frame rate that the graphics chip is putting out, thereby reducing the tearing issue. In gaming, tearing is a common form of distortion that manifests when a display tries to write a new frame to the screen before the previous one has fully written, resulting in a screen with mismatched halves. For starters, this screen can display your games among other content, at up to 144Hz frames per second (fps), courtesy of the high refresh rate, and you won’t suffer from screen tearing if you activate FreeSync. What’s been added to that big chassis? Well, the Helios 500 gets a full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel), 17-inch matte display that supports two-notable premium features: AMD Radeon FreeSync, and a 144Hz refresh rate. It works well for video conferencing, but it isn’t your usual high-resolution cam. There’s also a 720p webcam right above the screen, in the center of the bezel. Wireless connectivity comes in way of 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0, alongside wired Ethernet connection.Īnother win on the Helios 500 is the speakers that produce quality audio that’s impressive and bassy enough to fill a room, and free of distortion when cranked all the way up. Notably missing is an SD-card slot which comes handy for media professionals who often use dSLR cameras and high-end camcorders, but need to transfer the extra loads to the laptop. Thus, you can extend the screen by up to three displays via HDMI, DisplayPort and the USB Type-C port. Then, on the rear of the machine you have more ports – HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. On the left flank, there are two USB Type-C 3.1/Thunderbolt 3 ports, an Ethernet jack, and a single USB 3.0 Type-A port. The right edge holds two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, separate headphone and microphone jacks and a Kensington lock slot. If you’re looking to replace an aging desktop, the Predator 500’s size and packed power make it a formidable choice that you can occasionally lug to tournaments and the like.įor the big size, you benefit from profuse I/0 options. It measures 1.5 by 16.9 by 11.7 inches (HWD), which is comparable in size to other 17-inch gaming notebooks, like the Alienware 17 R5 (1.18-by-16.7-by-13.1 inches), but at 8.82 pounds its almost a pound-lighter than the Alienware. In all fairness, a plastic chassis should be constrained to gaming systems that are less than half the cost of the Acer Helios 500. Unlike the Asus ROG Zephyrus S and the Razer Blade 15, the Helios 500’s outer shell is fully plastic, a design decision most that we consider a little disappointing in any laptop in this price range. Aside from the blue color scheme, everything else on the PH517-61-R0GX looks gamer-laptop standard. Most gaming laptops come in black-and-red, but the Helios 500 sports a black finish with blue accents. For instance, the bigger chassis allow the machine to achieve its full performance potential by combining impressive thermals and full-power silicon.Įverything from the design to the price is an able effort, but our Editors’ Choice-wining machines from Asus and Razer have better polish, are more powerful, portable and versatile – and expensive, too.įor once, we have a gaming laptop that doesn’t follow its competitors in its color scheme. This Helios is big and weighty, so you won’t be carrying it a backpack often, but the design comes with a few advantages. It promises greater-than-60fps 1080p gaming performance in demanding games, plus a 144Hz AMD FreeSync 1080p display, for almost half the price of a comparable Razer Blade 15. While an antithesis of svelte Max-Q gaming-laptop design, this laptop remains a potent gamer with a strong supporting feature set at a reasonable price. A high-end model with a big, blue body, the Helios 500 packs an AMD Ry(8-core) processor, Radeon RX Vega 56 graphics card and a bright 17.3-inch screen. The all-new Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-61-R0GX is the company’s new benchmark among big-screen gaming laptops.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |